


The Inquisitor visits Val Royeaux prison after Blackwall leaves Josephine

by DAfan7711



Series: Dragon Age - Short stories, Vignettes [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen, Judgment, Prison, Thom Rainier - Freeform, Val Royeaux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-27
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-25 23:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3829240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DAfan7711/pseuds/DAfan7711
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens during the Inquisitor’s visit to Val Royeaux prison after Ambassador Josephine Montilyet wakes cold and alone in Blackwall’s hayloft.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Inquisitor visits Val Royeaux prison after Blackwall leaves Josephine

**Author's Note:**

> Blackwall fans please note that the Inquisitor of this short story expresses some very harsh views about Blackwall; I completely understand if you’d rather skip it to read or write something else. The tone of this is much darker than the bliss the Inquisitor and Commander found together in my “The Waterfall in the Undercroft” story, where I also invited all readers to come up with their own ideas for Josephine and Leliana’s work that morning. Triggers: Some strong cussing and verbal threats of bodily harm, references to suicide and capital punishment.

**The Inquisitor visits Val Royeaux prison after Blackwall leaves Josephine**

As Inquisitor Trevelyan strode toward the prison in Val Royeaux, in hushed whispers she hurriedly relayed instructions to Cassandra, Varric, and The Iron Bull.

“The Orlesian captains may be happy that we’ve ended their civil war,” she continued, “but, if a mob comes after Rainier, I don’t want all four of us cornered in the prison basement.”

“Got it, Boss.”

Cassandra and Varric silently nodded in agreement and head for their positions. She stationed herself at the top of the white marble steps looking down from the left of the prison entrance. He strolled into the café and settled at a table that kept his back to the wall and provided a clear line of sight between Bianca and the prison door. Bull remained a single step behind the Inquisitor on her right.

“Your Worship,” the Orlesian guard, posted to the left of the door, bowed low as she approached, but he did not raise his fist to his heart, a gesture that would be inappropriate for him to grant anyone except his Empress herself. His helmet’s shiny mask revealed none of his face except his shaded eyes, but his tone was formal and polite.

“The Seneschal of the Inquisition has already begun questioning the prisoner.”

Trevelyan blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly and nodded her thanks as she entered the prison. The Iron Bull took the empty guard position to the right of the door. He and the Orlesian exchanged curt nods to acknowledge each other’s part in this alliance. They didn’t share any small talk. They remained silent and alert for any trouble.

Unlike the shining marble exteriors of the capital city, the prison interior was a damp rectangle of slate and grey-blue stones. Each doorway was secured with iron bars.

Just beyond the entrance another masked guard leaned over a rectangular table to review orders and reports. He straightened and then bowed when she entered.

The only way was straight forward through an open iron gate, so she kept walking. At the doorway she encountered two more masked guards coming up the stone steps that led down to the holding cell.

“ _You left her alone with him_?” the Inquisitor spit out as she rushed between them and sprinted down the steps two at a time. She stopped abruptly when she saw that Leliana and the prisoner were still breathing—they were breathing so shallowly she couldn’t hear them in the deathly silence of the otherwise empty prison, but they were clearly conscious where they stood across from each other, glaring through the iron bars of his cell.

A drip of water plunked from the ceiling to the floor and echoed against the stone.

Then the prisoner, now revealed to be the fugitive Thom Rainier instead of Warden Blackwall, leaned his face through the bars to taunt the Spymaster.

“The Antivan whore knew what she was doing.”

_Crack!_ Leliana backhanded him and his skull pinged against iron.

He raised his head, eyes full of bitter triumph. Her glare was molten hatred.

“Enough,” the Inquisitor’s quiet word echoed off all the damp stone. Leliana and Thom startled and turned to look at her. A red welt from the seam of Leliana’s long leather glove was growing on Thom’s cheek between his beard and left eye.

“Sister Nightingale, you may return to your post.”

“The Inquisitor has spoken,” Leliana said with one last glare at Thom, and walked out stiffly.

Trevelyan stood in front of the cell door and Thom warily narrowed his eyes.

“Are you happy, now that you goaded her into hitting you? Because it’s the last bit of comfort you’ll receive.”

He stood stock still.

“I’m here for three reasons, the least of which is your brutal assassination of non-combatants prior to the official start of the civil war.”

He flinched.

“Secondly, only a coward abandons and insults those they supposedly care about, whatever the bullshit, self-serving excuse may be about protecting others from themselves. Don’t _ever_ use the word whore again.”

As she took a breath, he realized what was coming and shrunk all the way back in the cell, gripping the damp wall, eyes wide with terror.

“Most importantly,” she growled out, “If you ever again intercept or interfere with Inquisition field reports or other intelligence, I will personally break all the bones in your sword arm and hand you over to the spymaster.”

“No!” he leapt up angrily. “You have to leave me here! I have to pay for my crimes!”

“You put yourself ahead of our mission to save the world. You pledged yourself to the service of the Inquisition and the Inquisition had not released you from that service to go off on this personal quest. Suicide via public execution is not an option for you.

“Ambassador Montilyet has already made arrangements with the crown for your immediate transfer to Skyhold for judgment.”

At the sound of Josephine’s name, his lips began to quiver and his eyes filled with tears that would not fall. He gripped the iron bars of his cell and slid to his knees.

She didn’t wait for a response, just turned on her heel and walked back up the damp stone steps.

“Transfer arrangements have been made with the Guard Captain,” Cullen had arrived and was waiting for her just inside the prison entrance. “He will be most relieved if we proceed before dusk, for the news has spread to every corner of the city and he fears a mob.”

The three Orlesian guards fiddled with papers on the table, pretending to give them some privacy while the Inquisitor and Commander spoke quietly in a corner.

“The Ambassador has recused herself, so I will facilitate when you sit in judgment.” He gave her elbow a gentle squeeze of support.

“Thank you, Cullen.”

She sighed.

“This is a no-win situation: Josephine leaves him to die by the hang man’s noose, and she’ll be called a vengeful lover. She arranges his transfer or release, and she’ll still be called corrupt.”

“Yes,” he said, “Yet, whatever her personal feelings, she has honored her duty, made the most appropriate political and legal decisions. She respects that only you have the authority to judge him.”

“Plus, if she did nothing, she’d feel as guilty as if she tied the noose herself?”

He nodded, lay a light kiss on her cheekbone, and held the door open for the Inquisitor to step out of the damp prison into the sunny courtyard.

Yet the gloom of the judgment to come remained in her heart.


End file.
